Emetophobia - any fellow sufferers? What do you do to cope?

[PennyPop]

I had my first session today and I went I with an open mind. I was told I would be put into a hugely relaxed state (aka a trance) and I honestly didn't think that would be possible. I was so wrong, I replaced so much that I thought my body was asleep but my brain wasn't. It was the strangest thing! Today was about listening to my therapist's voice and learning the techniques as it were. I've got a recording of today to listen to adn I'm excited to start the actual work on my subconscious!

 

[PennyPop]

Just seen on Facebook that there's a big in the tear below my daughter at school. Panic has ensued.... How's everyone else getting on?!

 

[PennyPop]

Yes I do x I suffer from ibs,allergies yes but anxiety and fear get me straight away -I don't eat till i feel safe-when that may be x in these times to make sure you keep your energy as it's needed more,to care for others,maybe a smoothie,or basic foods like bananas. I completely understand though.

I thought it might be just me! I never thought about it as not eating until I feel safe but that's exactly what it is. Thank you, that was a really helpful response x

this sounds amazing! I know this is weird but this internet stranger is so proud of you for doing this! It’s really Made me think I can do it too
And yes appetite goes, I don’t want to eat anything ‘contaminated’ so would also drink bottled water as the germs can’t get inside in my mind

Oh that made me smile! Thank you! I feel so good for doing it and I will continue with it too. So glad to know its not just me that goes into this sort of starvation mode! Although for me it's fear that putting something in me will trigger it coming back out so I just avoid.

I can't eat or sleep properly until I feel safe. The last time they were sick it was 3am and now I'm unable to sleep until 3.15 when I feel safe. I'm so happy that hypno is helping you xx

Isn't it incredible what fear does to the logical side of our brains. Thank you, I'm really pleased too! X

 

[PennyPop]

Oh this thread triggered me last week I'm a die hard completely all consumed emtophobe. If there was a risk assessor job out there
For assessing risk re vomiting,and factors to reduce anything to do with it and it being anywhere near me,I'd be the best risk assessor around.

keeping this positive,im a mum with a 7year old and a 2year old.Im
Older because my phobia almost stopped me having any children,morning sickness fear,children fear. I never went on trips with
School,never drank,didn't party because 20/20induced vomiting wasn't for me. I have never been on a girls holiday,have done a couple of hen parties,had to have my own room,a safe space to retreat too,didn't do sleep overs.
I did enjoy life with trepidation eventually,my independence allowed me to flight from any situation I found threatening. I learnt what was more triggering for me over the years and
I've had hypnotherapy,counselling,and not much has helped but life exposure has eventually helped a little and so Damn proud I fought hard to overcome fears with having children. I have the same problems with food
,won't order chicken or rice dishes,won't let anyone cook meat for me,have to cook for my family,I wear disposable gloves to touch raw meat,I don't use by use by dates ,that's too far gone for my head. Meat is a trigger yes,other people feeding my kids is, car journeys are without screens and books,my kids won't get travel sick,if my littles don't want breakfast I know something is up,I wouldn't send to school,because car journeys trigger me big time not being able to run away.
I'd never leave my child though I'd just really struggle through.
I have a special kit
With a bucket special cleaning fluid disinfectant,mask etc for emergencies,i stay away from crowded places and soft plays unless it's a quiet time,planes are scary,i have
My head
Phones for escape,vics
For nose,eye mask for escape. I could write a book. And
Reality of life im
V
Lucky that
My risk prevention and careful ways do keep me away from my fear as in it's a rare situation. I don't dislike the
Way I am either and lucky for me my husband is also very cautious too,and we muddle through it
All. He takes over if I need to escape for a second then I compose myself and carry on. Also in the midst of a tummy upset etc i always try to remember it's nearly over if it's begun. I could go on for days. The thread and how people cope was actually very interesting so I just put a few down for me,but honestly it's so intertwined in To my life I didn't realise how much I'm still controlled by the phobia x love to all here x

I can relate to an awful lot of what you've detailed here, but there is some that is more extreme. I'm glad you feel proud that you managed to have your kids despite living with such a phobia, you should! I'm also glad that you are happy. I absolutely hate my emetephobia, how it makes me feel and how it makes me behave. It would be nice to be at peace with it if I can't get rid of it xx

 

[Ellepose]

I’m glad this thread exists. I’ve had this phobia for what seems like my whole life and I’ve never really confronted it or really told many others.
I don’t drink crazy amounts and I’m also a veggie now due to anxiety over drunk/hungover vomiting and food poisoning.
I don’t anyone in my life fully understands and I feel like I do quite well at covering it up. Like a few have mention, if ive has the odd bug my partner will be like “yes I know you don’t like being ill” whilst inside I’m freaking out.

 

[swimming]

My 17 month old is walking around doing sicky burps this morning.
He’s got continued silent reflux so I’m not too worried but they sound disgusting.

I am so mentally and physically drained and burnt out I can’t cope this is awful

 

[swimming]

Thank you so much everyone for taking the time to reply.

I’ve had a big old cry this evening putting my son to bed because I’m just so scared. If it was just me on my own here I wouldn’t be as scared but because he’s here and toddlers are very unpredictable aren’t they. I mean he touches everything and and fingers in mouth of course they all do, but because I cannot control what he is doing it’s making me worse.

I keep thinking I’m getting it too because my tummy feels funny but it’s likely just nerves.

And I guess when I think about something that happened 7 years ago…. I was sleeping in the same bed as my (then) boyfriend and in the night he came down with a bug and I didn’t catch it. I went home to my own house as soon as he started.

This is just shit isn’t it. I’m scared also because my parents are unwell so I can’t just phone them up and ask them to come round. I don’t have many friends in the area, and the ones I do all have kids.

 

[happycamper123]

Absolutely x escape and comfort,audio book is a great idea.

My dad was poorly again last night - we had a couple of days where he seemed better so I thought we were past it

I put on white noise when I went to bed (heavy rain with thunderstorms), and it seemed to work! Thank you so much guys for that suggestion

 

[PennyPop]

Hi everyone, I hope you don’t mind me joining!
My dad is currently ill with a sickness bug and the past two nights I’ve been woken up to the sound of him being ill. I used to have a real phobia of myself being sick, but now it is around other people and a fear of hearing/seeing them. I have been laying in bed covering my ears trying to block out the noise. I then can’t settle again in case I wake up and it is happening again.
I try to be realistic and ask myself what is it I’m so afraid of/what will happen, but I can’t give myself an answer. It is such an irrational fear.
I am so glad to have found this page and others who can relate! I’m at a point now where I’m considering staying in a hotel for a couple of nights until I’m certain it has passed

Hello and welcome, I hope you find this thread can give you some support. I totally understand how you feel, it's completely irrational isn't it. I think the white noise suggestion is really good. To be honest, I would want to be out of there - my fight or flight response is very strong and I have to work hard not to just flee when I'm scared. I hope you manage to stay clear of anything and your Dad has gotten over his illness too xx

 

[swimming]

Oh my goodness, that is exactly what my life was like at home! And even now, if my husband gets up in the middle of the night for the loo I'm like what's wrong?? Are you OK??

Yep I know exactly where you’re coming from.

im on my own with a baby and even if he wakes up in the night I start worrying he’s gonna be sick. It’s a baby ffs they do wake up in the night lol.

 

[PennyPop]

I don’t have any tips but I totally know how you feel. I went to a playgroup with my 5 month old baby the other day (forced by my mum. I didn’t even wanna go!!) and one of the mums there said her whole house was struck with a bug at the weekend.

I overheard it and since then I’ve been clock watching making sure we are in the safe zone time wise. It’s exhausting

That's why I avoided baby groups when my daughter was small! Totally sympathise with you!
Whats the safe zone?
I hate being on so on edge so much, this is the worst feeling. I'm not going to sleep and feel like crap tomorrow

Spoiler: Hospital Treatment and vomiting

had to go to hospital yesterday for an allergic reaction and threw up like 4 times, I have such a phobia of being sick but I got through it keep playing it over in my mind though

It's just the worst isn't it

 

[Spicy_bananas]

Hi, hope you don’t mind me asking questions on this, did you pay privately ?!

Hi! In Canada you can go to a psychologist/psychiatrist without a GP's note. In fact I don't even think that therapy is covered by public insurance. So yes it was paid out of pocket.
Check with your public insurance if you are in another country to see if it's covered.

I have panic attacks on planes incase someone is travel sick, in busy shopping centres I won’t use the toilets incase someone is poorly in there and in hospitals. I went to an orthopaedic outpatient appointment and had to rationalise with myself that everyone had broken bones not a sickness bug

I recognize former me in all these behaviors... It's exhausting right?

I’m scared of seeing my GP incase they think I’m wasting their time

If you have a GP that you like/trust don't be scared to talk to them about it. They might have resources you can check out. You are not wasting their time, it's their job. And if they think that, fuck them! They won't tell you anyway so you'll never know!

no idea on where to start in booking an appointment?

Look online for some resources. You might find a therapist near you that way. Don't be scared to call some therapist and ask if they deal with this kind of phobia.
ex:

How to Find a Psychiatrist and Other Therapists

Here’s how to find a psychiatrist based on your needs and situation — such as budget, insurance, concerns, and child and family therapy needs.

www.healthline.com

How to Find a Psychiatrist Near Me | Talkspace

Know you need a psychiatrist's help, but not sure where to start? You're not alone. Our guide will assist you in finding the right match.

www.talkspace.com

Hope I could help. Don't hesitate to ask me more questions!

 

[lauren1600]

Thank you for such a lovely response @PennyPop, it’s made me feel quite emotional (in a nice way!) and reading your experience is really reassuring. The cracker tip is super helpful as well!

I have tried CBT previously for general anxiety which didn’t do much for me but I noticed you (or it may have been someone else) said something similar further up the thread so I will look into it again from an emetophobia angle. I’m so happy to see that you’re making progress with it.

Thanks again for the kind words xx

 

[PennyPop]

Thank you so much for the advice - I'm going to look into iTalk
Its interesting as my brother is the complete opposite to me, he has zero qualms about it yet we grew up in the same house. In talking to him about it we realised there were times that he was sick but in my memory I attributed it to myself. In reality growing up I was unwell only a couple of times but he was constantly unwell. So interesting how our minds work and cope (or not cope) with these things and memories get distorted.

My therapist was telling me that people who suffer with this phobia are likely to not be particularly sickly people. I guess it makes sense though as you'll have been conditioned to grin and bear it if it happened often.
I hope you have some luck with the self referral, it could be beneficial to talk to your GP as they may be able to help you get seen a bit quicker.

 

[PennyPop]

Anyone else getting anxious about the kids going back to school?

 

[PollyPerks]

Sods laws would have it that I am currently in the middle of going through a stomach bug myself!! no sickness, just severe upset tummy. And I’m on my own with the 4 month old. It’s a ticking time bomb now as to when he will come down with it and I’m praying he doesn’t have the sickness. I know I’ve caught this from the hospital over the weekend as I had to take little one in for a blood test and there was a 5 year old next to us in the waiting room throwing up. I just wanted to run away

I don’t have any coping mechanisms I just go mad on Google to find out what hospital wards are shut in the media from Norovirus etc. Completely silly and I DESPISE this phobia so much it takes over my life. People don’tunderstand it either.

I hope you feel better soon and your little one avoids the bug! I go on the same Google spiral - finding out where the outbreaks are, how many people, then calculating the percentage that is of the total population to find out my chances of catching it! It's a nightmare and I try very hard not to do it any more. I nearly fell back into the spiral when the reports were coming out about surges in Noro following freedom day but I stopped myself as going down that path will turn me into a hermit. I really feel you on how people don't understand, they just say 'well no one enjoys being sick!' as though a phobia is comparable to not enjoying something!

 

[PennyPop]

Thought I'd check in and see how everyone is getting on.
I'm still on the waiting list for CBT and my hubby is away at the moment so I'm on high alert.
Hope you're all doing OK xx

 

[RachRN86]

A message in the kids class group chat is talking about a sickness bug going around so I am now on the edge of my nerves even though we had it before Xmas!

 

[Penny for them]

Well, it happened...I got the bug sorry if that's triggering for anyone, it's just so helpful to discuss this with likeminded people.

I hope you are ok? How were you x this happened to me after my 2year old fell ill-my 7year old was unwell but not obviously a bug I gave her active charcoal, and she was just under the weather but i suspected-anyway my little one was ill like yours,at night,then next night,my 7year old was not ,I then became unwell,but I thought just tired to begin with from little one being ill,I didn't eat allot like you - my symptoms were slightly different but I got to a point were I couldn't have parented one night,I woke up after that night a bit more normal,my husband got it then he was v I'll and in bed all day (men) I had to look after the children as was off school just in case I was on tenterhooks 7year old next that made my anxiety horrendous,but she wasn't but was pasty. It was a grim week-my dad and his wife caught it too as then seen my children the day after 2year old was ill-all of us slightly different symptoms. Lost 5lbs.sorry to talk about
Me-I hope I didn't say anything triggering. This is something that hasn't happened ever before to us,catching I mean maybe and I hope this is the only time for a very long time I do hope you are feeling ok x

 

[PennyPop]

Hey @Beatrix how are you? X